Central Valley – Scampgrounds

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

https://scampgrounds.com/wp-content/themes/osmosis/images/empty/thumbnail.jpg 150 150 gavin gavin https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/9de79417d52cde759ffedf503509748a?s=96&d=mm&r=g September 27, 2022 September 23, 2022

By: gavin

September 27, 2022

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
September 11^th – 18^th, 2022 (7 nights)

Visiting Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks in the shoulder season is a fantastic way to experience the parks without heavy summer crowds. The weather was very pleasant during our visit in September with highs in the high 60’s (perfect for hiking) and lows in the low 40’s (perfect for sleeping) and the trails were fairly unpopulated. Because of the cool nights, we used the furnace in our Scamp 13’ while sleeping and set the thermostat at 58 degrees, which was very comfortable for a great night’s rest. Because the drive from our home in Carlsbad to these parks is around 8 hours, we stopped halfway for overnights at Bear Mountain RV Park in Bakersfield to break up the drives both going to the parks and on our way home. Fortunately, we brought along our portable AC system, because it was in the 90’s in Bakersfield!

When searching for a convenient half way overnight stop, our biggest priority was finding a place which was along the route so we didn’t add unnecessary driving time. Additionally, since we knew it could still be very hot in the Central Valley in September, we also wanted to make sure the place where we stayed had electrical hookups so we would be able to run our AC system. Lastly, we wanted a reasonable nightly rate since we weren’t going to have time to take advantage of any extra facilities (like pool, laundry room, clubhouse, miniature golf course, etc.) or location (e.g. proximity to the downtown, etc.). Bear Mountain RV Park in the Central Valley (Bakersfield) meets all of these criteria; it’s just a few minutes off the 99 Freeway (located in between farmland), about halfway from our home to Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, it offers full hookups, and the rate when we stayed was only $34/night (although they just raised the rate to $39/night). Most of the park is occupied by monthly renters, but the last row of campsites is set aside to accommodate overnight guests. We were assigned site #17 and our friends, Phil & Claudia, who accompanied us on this trip, were parked right next to us. It was hot (about 95 degrees) when we arrived, so we set up our portable AC system which chilled the Scamp down very quickly. The park advertises WiFi, but we couldn’t get a good signal at our location. However, there is a cell tower close by and we got fast internet and good phone service anyway with our Spectrum/Verizon mobile service. HDTV signals were also plentiful and crystal clear here. As an added bonus, we enjoyed evening walks along a farmland path of pistachio trees across the street from Bear Mountain RV park.

Because we were towing a travel trailer, we had to take the longer route, Highway 180, to reach Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks. Driving up the more direct route, Highway CA-198E, is not permitted for vehicles over 22 feet long due to severe hair pin turns (our Volvo XC40 is 14.5 feet long and our Scamp 13’ is 13 feet long = our total length of 27.5 feet). The road into the park during the last hour of driving is windy, but not too bad. Because Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks are national parks, a $35 entrance fee is required at the entrance station. We opted to purchase the $80 annual America the Beautiful Pass instead which allows access to all national parks in addition to other government lands for a year. We arrived at Lodgepole Campground in Sequoia National Park to a fantastic site (#160, $22/night) right alongside a creek. This site is spacious and situated in the middle of a beautiful pine forest. There are no hookups here, but, despite the campground being heavily forested, we were able to get all the electricity we needed by using our solar panels. We also arrived with two fully filled propane tanks, which provided all the gas we needed to cook, heat our water for nightly showers, and power our furnace to keep our Scamp’s interior nice and warm in the middle of the night. There is a threaded water spigot close by to site #160 and we used our super hose extender for quick water fills whenever needed! Also, there is a free central dump station at the entrance of the park (only a few minutes’ drive from site #160) which we used during the middle of our five night stay here (quick and easy). So, despite the campsites having no hookups here, one can still experience a fabulous long stay at Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks with the right gear and planning. And, Lodgepole Campground is a great location when visiting these parks because it is right at the center of most of the natural attractions. Note: there is no cell phone reception at most places within the park (though, there are payphones at Lodgepole Campground, and Waksachi Lodge – a few miles down the road- offers free very poor quality WiFI [when we visited], but the best value in gifts we encountered within the park ). A ranger informed us that there is a helipad (perhaps the large overflow parking lot at the entrance to Lodgepole Campground) and there are rangers available 24/7 in case of emergencies.

The highlight of a trip to Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks is walking among the giant sequoia trees. These trees are among the largest and oldest trees on Earth and are magnificent to behold. What’s amazing too is that they only exist on one place on Earth, and that’s here within a narrow 260 mile path of forest on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains (between 5,000 and 7,000 feet in elevation). Some of these trees are over 3,000 years old! These giant sequoias are awe inspiring and a trip to this national park should be at the very top of everyone’s bucket list of places to see in their lifetime. The main trail to see these giants is the Congress Trail. To get here, one can either hike a 2.8 mile trail from Lodgepole Campground to the General Sherman Tree, or drive to the General Sherman parking area just down the road. The Congress Trail is a gentle 2.7 mile paved round trip path that goes by some of the largest and well know sequoias in Sequoia National Park. The trail begins at the General Sherman tree, which is the largest living tree on Earth and stands over 275 feet tall. Also along the path are the President Tree, Chief Sequoyah Tree, The Senate Group, The House Group, and McKinley Tree. The President Tree, named after President Warren G. Harding in 1923, is the oldest living sequoia tree at over 3,200 years old (about 250 feet tall). Curiously, we didn’t see the famous General Lee Tree name on the path. We speculated that the name was “cancelled” due to him owning slaves and other injustices (which we later confirmed when reading this article). However, Google Maps still listed the tree and we were able to find it unlabeled.

There are also numerous trails which originate from Lodgepole Campground (some tens of miles long and requiring a backcountry permit for overnight camping in the wild). One of the most famous is the Tokopah Falls Trail (allow 2 – 3 hours). It’s a roughly 3.8 mile moderately challenging out and back hike which meanders its way up the Kaweah River and comes to a head at the bottom of a 1,200 cascading foot waterfall (although dry during summer and fall months if no rain). The falls were flowing a little bit during our visit because it had recently rained (hikers previously reported no water flow the week before). The falls are formed as the marble fork of the Kaweah River slides down a magnificent granite face into the Tokopah Valley. The trail has areas with sections of stone steps as well as short wood plank bridges. The last short section of trail is over uneven granite rocks and should be avoided by those with stability issues (the waterfall can still be seen before this section though). It’s a beautiful hike that passes though forest and meadows. It’s also common to see bears near the trail in the early morning. We saw one on our visit. Sequoia National Park is an active bear area for the American black bear. It’s mandatory to use the metal bear food lockers to store your food at the campsite. There are many stories of bear encounters like this one here and this scary one for a camper at Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks. Be “bear aware” and try never to sneak up on an unsuspecting bear since startling the animal at close range could provoke a defensive attack. Usually, the bears will hear hikers and stay at a distance or move away. If a bear approaches, make yourself look big by raising your arms (and if you are in a group huddle together) and make a lot of noise by clapping and yelling. It’s generally not recommended to try to outrun the bear (unless you have some slower hikers with you!). The same advice applies to mountain lions which like to chase running prey.

Make sure to visit the Giant Forest Museum during your visit. The small free museum has some excellent displays and information on sequoias and the area (as well as a nice gift shop). There’s also a nice one mile round trip meadow hike from the museum. On the south side of the museum is a short paved road which leads to Beetle Rock, a large granite rock which you can climb on and offers nice mountain views to the south and west. It’s a great place to watch the sunset. Speaking of sunsets, if you have time, also plan a visit to Sunset Rock. Sunset Rock Trail can be accessed across the road from the Giant Forest Museum. It’s an easy mile forest trail that leads to a large granite dome (Sunset Rock) which offers superb western views (best visited at sunset). And, speaking of rocks, climbing Moro Rock should be on your radar (as long as you aren’t averse to climbing a bunch of stairs – about 350 steps to the top – or have a fear of heights). It’s considered a moderately challenging hike, but it is fairly short (only about .5 miles round trip) and can be completed in about half an hour without stopping (there’s a parking lot at its base). No serious rock climbing is necessary as this granite dome has rock stairs along with metal handrails to keep visitors safe. The 360 degree views at the top are spectacular, offering sights of an incredible mountain range on one side and looking way out over the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River toward the Great Western Divide of the High Sierra and down to the San Joaquin Valley below on the other (highly recommended).

There’s so much to do in Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks that we only scratched the surface during out five night stay at Lodgepole Campground in Sequoia National Park. We noticed some campers left some days to make long drives (over one hour to the Kings Canyon side of the park) to explore areas, such as Mist Falls and Hume Lake, on the Kings Canyon side of the parks. But, with the windy roads and drive time of over an hour to cross the parks, we decided to spend most of our time in Sequoia National park and touch the highlight of Kings Canyon National Park (visiting the General Grant Tree at Grant Grove Village) on our way out of the park on our last day. I’m glad we decided to spend the majority of our time in Sequoia National Park, staying at Lodgepole Campground, because there are more groves of the giant sequoias here. I would definitely consider coming back in the future and staying within Kings Canyon National park to see some of the waterfalls and other natural wonders though (there are numerous campgrounds within Kings Canyon National Park including: Azalea Campground, Crystal Springs Campground, and Sunset Campground). On our way to Grant Grove Village, we refueled at Stony Creek gas station (free WiFi that actually works too!). There is a visitor’s center and gift shop (the most expensive we visited in the park) at Grant Grove Village as well as some RV parking. We avoided the two mile round trip hike from Grant Grove Village to the General Grant Tree and back by driving down the road and parking in the small General Grant Tree parking lot. We got lucky and found a couple of RV spaces to park (there are only around 4 bus/RV spaces). After viewing the magnificent General Grant Tree, which is just right in front of the parking lot, it got a bit crazy on our way out. A large tourist bus pulled in and blocked the exit path for a little while. We were fortunate to have been able to plan our visit to stay during the week and were reminded that, even during the off season, weekends can be very busy in national parks.

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Central Sierras (Huntington & Shaver Lakes)

By: gavin

August 9, 2022

Central Sierras (Huntington & Shaver Lakes)
July 9^th – 19^th, 2022 (10 nights)

Summer is usually a great time to head for the mountains (which are often inaccessible other times of year due to harsh weather). A neighbor recommended we visit the Central Sierra, specifically Huntington Lake and Shaver Lake. He has spent a lot of time in this area and reported the lakes to be spectacular. Because the drive directly from our home in San Diego to Huntington Lake is a long one (over seven hours), we decided to make a couple stops in between to make the drive easier. We first stopped at my brother’s house in Pacific Palisades (Los Angeles area) for a night. Then, we headed to a stop in the Central Valley. Our neighbors, Phil & Claudia, also joining us on this trip with their RPOD trailer, recommended we stay at Success Lake in the Central Valley. The only hitch (pardon the pun) with this plan is that the temperature during this time of year is often over 100 degrees at Success Lake and our Scamp 13′ didn’t come with AC (see article, “No AC, No Problem”). Fortunately, I had a couple of weeks to prepare and I was able to build a mounting system for a mini window AC unit.

We were curious about the fully loaded (full Fresh and Hot Water tanks) weight of our Scamp 13’ (with front bathroom), so we stopped at one of the many CAT Certified Scales (big yellow signs with a Cat head) prevalent throughout the Central Valley. California’s Central Valley, which provides a quarter of the nation’s food (including 40% of the nation’s fruits and nuts), has many public weigh stations due to the considerable amount of trucking in the area. The California standard weigh fee is currently $13. At the weigh station, there are multiple scale platforms (designed for tractor trailers) defined by bright yellow outlines. Just make sure the trailer is on one and the tow vehicle is on another to get an accurate weight. Push the Call button and the weigh master will print out a weight certificate for you. Our Scamp weighed in wet (full Fresh, Hot water, and Propane x 2 tanks) at 1840 lbs., which is considered a light trailer.

Success Lake is a recreation lake in the Central Valley and is popular for boating, waterskiing, sailing, kayaking, swimming and fishing. There are about 103 campsites at the campground, called Tule Campground, and a small marina which has boat rentals. The campground is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and is a dammed reservoir. We had an electric hookup site (water also included, free central Dump), site #54, which was $30/night and has a view of the lake. There was good cell service during our visit (three bars on Verizon and good streaming). We were also able to pick up 11 clear HD channels over the air on our HD TV. The campground was nearly empty during our stay and it was easy to understand why – the temperature was well over 100 degrees. However, the lake was busy with families enjoying the water. As soon as we hooked up and set up our new window mini air conditioner, we spent most of our time in the Scamp playing games. We set the temperature inside the Scamp at a nice cool 74 degrees. The hot weather outside during the day was inhospitable. Just a short walk was very uncomfortable. However, the heat cooled a bit by early evening allowing us a walk with our friends along the lake and marina. The next morning, we left right after breakfast, avoiding the extreme heat of the day (dumping at the free central dump station on the way out).

The flat and arid nature of the Central Valley changes to a mountain landscape with dense pines, after passing Fresno and climbing high up into the lake country. Once we left Success Lake, it took us about three and a half hours to reach Rancheria Campground (no hookups or dump, but shared water spigots) at Huntington Lake (elevation 7,028 ft.). Rancheria Campground is a beautiful lakeside campground nestled among tall pines. There are beaches along the lake and the crystal clear water wasn’t too cold to take a dip. The lake is known for being windy and popular for sailing. There is a marina close to the campground. Our campsite, #74 ($37/night), has a nice view of the lake and is well spaced between other campsites. This campground has numerous sites with nice lakes views (our favorite sites are #65, #68, #71, #70, #69, #72, #81, #67, #66, #74, #69, #76, #82, and #81). A bear paid a visit to the campground one night and enjoyed some s’mores left out by campers. We enjoyed hikes along the lake as well as a long hike up to Rancheria Falls (about four miles from the campground, which took us about 3 hours). Despite it being July, the waterfall had a really lively flow. We also had some really fun games of the board game Sequence with our friends. For an overview video of our stay at Rancheria Campground, click here.

After a couple nights at Huntington Lake, we headed down to Dorabelle Campground (at Shaver Lake, elevation 5,627 ft.) (only about 30 minutes away). We needed to dump, so we stopped at the only dump station in the area (Camp Edison). We were scheduled to spend the weekend at Camp Edison, but since we needed to dump outside our stay dates we were charged ($30) – the highest dump fee we have ever paid (it’s usually around $7 – $10). Dorabelle Campground seems more oriented toward families with beaches jumping with children. Unfortunately, almost all the campsites (except one) do not have a lake view. There is no dump here or hookups. There are shared water spigots. The cell phone reception is a bit spotty. Even though this campground did not live up to all our expectations, we still enjoyed our campsite (#31, $42/night) (which was located in a beautiful meadow). Our Scamp 13’ was often in considerable shade, so we had a chance to try out for the first time our 50’ solar extension cables to allow our solar panels to be positioned out in the sun! There are many hiking trails adjacent to Dorabelle Campground, giving access to walks through grassy fields filled with beautiful flowers (e.g. lupine) and tall pines. On our hikes, we saw ospreys flying as well as tree top nests with osprey chicks’ heads bobbing above the rim high above the lake. We also had the chance to go out on the water when our generous campsite neighbor offered us a lake tour. The lake was very active with people swimming, boating, jet skiing, fishing, and sunbathing. During the boating excursion, we got out of the boat on a secluded beach and hiked up to Shaver Lake Falls!

We spent our last couple of days in the Central Sierra at Camp Edison, also on Shaver Lake (a utility run campground just 10 minutes down the lake from Dorabelle Campground). Camp Edison has the feel of a privately run campground with many amenities (including well stocked camp store, adjacent museum, basketball court, volleyball court, walking trails….). We were about 45 minutes early for the 1 p.m. check in, and, were told we couldn’t check in until exactly 1 p.m.! This was surprising because we’ve never had an issue with early arrivals in the past at other campgrounds. Our campsite also was a bit pricey (the most we’ve ever paid for a campsite at $70/night). The site, #129, was listed as a premium lake side site and we were expecting a grand lake view given the price. We were a little taken aback when we pulled in and found the site unpaved, not level, and without a lake view from our Scamp (although there is a lake view from the site’s picnic area above the site pad)! We had electric power (which was good because there was a mini heat wave while we were there and we were able to run our AC system!). There is no dedicated water hookup at this site, but there is a shared spigot close by. Luckily, the shared spigot had enough threads that we were able to hook up our hoses (25’ hose + 50’ extension hose) to reach our Scamp without having to haul water up the hill. Despite some of these issues, we did have an enjoyable stay at Camp Edison. On our first night, there was a fantastic thunder and lightning storm and a tree was struck by lightning in town. There is a great museum, The Museum of the Sierra, adjacent to the campground which has wonderful displays which show how the logging and utility industries developed in the area. There were live demonstrations of machinery including steam engines moving heavy logs and hydroelectric turbines used for power generation. There was even a free ice cream social put on by the museum volunteers! And, on Sunday morning, we went on a great guided hike with a couple guides from the Forestry Service. Overall, we had a really good experience at Camp Edison.

We decided to skip Success Lake (forecast was for 109 degrees) on the way home and head straight to my brother’s house in Pacific Palisades on the coast (about a 5 hour drive from Camp Edison). A 6AM squirrel alarm allowed us to get an early start! We had fun playing games and watching a movie with my brother and nephews before heading home to San Diego the next morning. For an alternative to the Eastern Sierras (e.g. Mammoth Lakes), definitely consider a visit to the Central Sierras and enjoy equally impressive lake and mountain scenery!